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Alitalia Pilot Saw Unmanned Drone Aircraft Near JFK Airport

March 5, 2013
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A pilot for Alitalia said that he saw an unmanned drone as he approached the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 1:15 p.m. on Monday afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the commercial pilot’s claim of seeing the small unmanned aircraft. He says that he saw the drone when he was about four or five miles away from JFK. He was flying at an altitude of about 1,500 feet, reports The Daily News.

The website LiveATC.net has captured the radio call that the pilot made where he reports what he has seen. During the report he clearly says “We saw a drone, a drone aircraft.” The drone may have come within 200 feet of the pilot’s jet. The FAA said that the pilot was not forced to take evasive action and that he was able to land safely.